dmac93065

Its amazing to think of the kind of players the Lions could have drafted instead of the ones selected. What franchise wouldn't take Chris Johnson or Andre Johnson right now. During both respective drafts however, the Lions chose other players. K. Smith is not a first day talent at HB. He is a guy who most teams would have drafted as a backup player to add depth to their rosters. I think Schwartz was being a bit generous in his assessment of Smith in stating that the coaching staff wasn't sure about his ceiling. Every pro-level athlete can have a breakout game, but Smith has consistently shown he is NOT a running back a franchise can feature. Hopefully he can be replaced in the upcoming draft, along with almost everyone else on offense, Matt & CJ excluded.

Despite stats pointing to a Lions victory, this is a game that should not be taken lightly. Mangini knows he is fighting for his coaching life in this game. A Cleveland loss probably ends his short tenure. I would expect as many trick/gadget plays as can be pulled out on offense and special teams. So this is still a game the Lions have to be very focused in, otherwise they could easily lose.

This game makes me MORE nervous than any other this season. Despite their record, the Rams & Redskins had more talent on their rosters than Detroit. The Skins' organization was in chaos and that allowed us to steal a win at home. The Rams showed they were still a better franchise than the Lions.

The Lions and Browns are arguably the worst teams in the league. This game will potentially settle the question of who is the worst. The Browns have several guys on their roster who played for the Lions and who will have added motivation to beat the team. Guys like Mike Furrey & Shawn Rogers, made a difference while playing in Detroit & both of whom Detroit could use right now.

As fans, most if us entered the season hopeful that this franchise was better and heading in the right direction. Should the Browns win this game, it extinguishes all hope for this season. What's worse, a loss to the Browns will not only reaffirm the notion that this is still the same ole Lions to fans, but may seep into the locker room as well. This team isn't playing for a title any time soon, but it desperately needs to shed the label of NFL doormat. They have a chance Sunday, let's see how they perform.

I was a supporter of drafting Oher with the 20th pick in last year's draft. But I am glad the front office guys were smarter I. Oher has been a solid addition at Right Tackle for the Ravens, but has not set the league on fire by any stretch of the imagination. Baltimore used him at LT for a while but he proved ineffective & unable to assimilate the playbook or read complex blitzing schemes, so he was shifted to the RT position. Had Detroit drafted him at the 20th spot, they would have done so expecting a 10 starter at LT. Oher is NOT that guy. He would have a bust based on those expectations & a costly one at that. I am glad to have Pettigrew on the roster over Oher because I am hopeful Pettigrew will live up to his draft status in a season or two.

Grasping at straws a bit Killer. But it is true, Stafford was one of the few guys who doesn't appear to have surrendered the season. That's a good sign. A bad one however is CJ's drops. When arguably the most talented WR in the NFL drops passes you have to wonder about the 'rift' from last week. If CJ thinks Stafford's inaccuracy will get him hurt, he may choose which passes to pursue and which not too. Stafford played well today and he has to continue to show solid play to gain the respect of his teammates, especially CJ.

Killer you raise an interesting point, but Stafford's accuracy has always come into question. Still, if an excuse needs to be made, how about pointing to the offensive line. QB's get happy feet when their line surrenders hits, especially hits that cause injury. I don't think our QB's are as bad as they perform. I still think Culpepper can play in the NFL & I think Stafford is a rare talent. Any QB would struggle behind Detroit's offensive line, Manning, Brady & Brees not excluded. So it's too early to write Stafford off as a bust.

Kevin Smith & this running game however ARE a bust. This team needs a real running back who can make defenses respect the run. K. Smith is is an average sized running back who doesn't have the break away speed to make big plays, or the power to break tackles and consistently gain tough yards. He is relatively durable and has solid hands out of the backfield. Most teams would use him as their 3rd down back, NOT their featured back. Combine his lack of physical prowess (as it relates to upper echelon NFL running backs) with a running style more suited for bruising back like a Michael Turner or Maurice Jones-Drew & you have a back who simply disappears for long stretches of games. I'd rather see a backfield featuring Felton instead of Smith as I think the former can get tough yardage more consistently than the latter. But maybe a replacement will be forthcoming in next years free agency or the draft.

I don't think it unusual for guys to have a rift in light of a tough loss. This was a game the Lions had to think they would win. It had to be disappointing for them watching as it slip away in the second half. As for CJ and talks of trading him, thats ridiculous. Detroit should NEVER get rid of a player citing the locker room cancer excuse. With all the losing this team does, how can it be determined which players are really 'bad character guys' from those behaving badly & out of character do to the abundance of losses?

I predicted a 1-15 as soon as Stafford was announced the starter. He is a rookie starter on the worst NFL franchise of the decade. Realistically, who thought he would singlehandedly will this team to success?

Stafford was woefully inaccurate in college and draft experts warned he would get his receivers 'dinged' during the season. CJ has been injured & a big part of that is a result of Stafford's inaccuracy. The big issue with this rift is will they be able to trust one another going forward. If CJ feels he cant rely on Stafford to deliver passes that will allow him to run after the catch or will be led into bruising hits that might threaten the length of his career, this offense is in trouble. The win/loss record really doesnt matter at this point. It's the rapport that develops between CJ & Stafford on offense & Delmas, Hill & Levy on defense. If these guys can come together this year, the team will be OK going forward.

The problem with this season is how expectations get elevated during the offseason. This team was fresh off an 0-16 season but whats more telling is that we've gone through multiple players and coaches all with the same lack of success. But there's a culture within the Lions franchise, perpetuated by WCF, that won't end until he is gone.

This team needs a Bill Parcells. They need a football genius who knows how to scout talented players, negotiate contracts and hire competent coaches. The Lions need an overhaul performed by a proven winner like Mike Shanahan, Marty Schottenheimer or Mike Holmgren. Someone who can change the culture of a bad team. Shottenheimer built his career taking bad teams and transforming them into playoff calibur squads. He usually leads teams to .500 records in his first year. That's the guy the Lions needed, not newbies who just didn't have the experience to lead this franchise in the right direction.

Our team plays as if they are over matched because our coaches are being outwitted on the sidelines. While our GM & Presidents just don't have the savvy or experience necessary to compete with the other franchise's execs. That's why one draft, one coach, or one player can't make a difference here. The problem is just too widespread. WCF should have taken the commissioners suggestions or better yet, stepped down and let someone younger with more vision lead this franchise in a new direction.

I'm sure its unintentional on your part but don't sound so down on Stafford. He has shown a ton of promise. Similar to how Daunte looked without CJ in the lineup, this offense just isn't that good when CJ is not 100%.

Yesterdays problem was NOT solely the passing attack. I think we have two good QB's in Stafford and C-Pep. But they play behind an awful offensive line and a running game that struggles to be mediocre. The Lions should have been able to pound the ball and run the clock down in the second half but Smith is a back who somehow is overrated by this organization. Why doesn't anyone realize how average he is?

Packers fans have been laughing at me on my facebook page all day. This was quite a loss. Not only did the Lions lose the game but they possibly lost morale. In prior weeks, losses had a moral victory to them. This one absolutely did NOT!

In addition to the loss, the team lost players at its thinnest position, DL. And that showed throughout the remainder of game. The saving grace is management has an undeniable view of how a porous line can sabotage the entire teams success. Offensively, that struggling packers 3-4 defense looked like the patriots' defense in their championship years against our offensive line. The defensive line, looked invisible and exposed the rest of the defense so badly that the score should have been 3 touchdowns larger.

This article is no surprise. Since preseason, Mlive writers have shown bias towards Stafford even when the stats bear out a different number. Even in this game, one of the few unbiased sports reporters that cover the Lions breaks down the performances of both Stafford and Culpepper.

No one is arguing that Stafford should be the starter at this point in the season. But this article is way off-base. Even Brett Favre looked shakey in his first couple of games this season. My sole reason to root against C-pep starting significant games is fear he will mess up next year's draft by winning too many of them. The Rams, Bucs, Raiders & Skins are horrific. The Lions need a top five pick and with a few starts C-pep would regain his form and have us picking in the middle of the 1st round.

This is nothing more than propaganda for Stafford. The kid would have thrown at least 2 pick 6 interceptions in the game. BVO & Killer would have made excuses saying it was because CJ was injured. With Stafford in the lineup, no one other than CJ consistently saw passes their way. C-pep made the receiving corps look respectable. He elevated their play and even made Derrick Williams look more like a keeper than a bust.

Every Lions fan hopes Stafford is the future but lets no be ridiculous. Stafford would have been wild. A big part of why CJ is hurt now is b/c he had to play the 1st part of the season with a QB that hurted the ball to him in double and triple coverages, opening him up to brutal hits.

The coaching staff called plays based on the situation, not according to what the defense dictated. Culpepper was placed in a goat or hero situation. He had to complete a deep pass, force a pick or take a sack. He took sacks, the lesser of the bad 2 options he had. Throwing incomplete or check down passes was apparently not what the coaching staff wanted in that situation.

As for the team, they made the world champion Steelers beat them. Sure we lost CJ, Hanson missed a FG, C-pep made some miscues due to rust, but this team played hard and gave the Steelers all they could handle. This is a game the Lions would have been out of in the first half in another circumstance. Though there is room for improvement, there is nothing the Lions should be ashamed of regarding this game's performance. After going 0-19 they are allowed to claim a moral victory for this game.

This was a garbage article designed only at obscuring one fact, C-pep, with no CJ, and only a week of practice had the Lions within a TD of defeating the world champions. PERIOD!

Though there were mistakes on both sides of the ball, there were surprises. Derrick 'hands of stone' Williams played better on special teams and within the confines of the offense. Despite Killer's criticisms, there are going to be teams who liked what they saw out of Daunte and may give the Lions a useful pick for him this off-season.

Most importantly, the team didn't quit! Even when Hanson missed a FG that could have kept momentum on the Lions side, the Steelers had make plays to beat this team on the Lion's final series. That is not something the Lions have always done and is a testament to Schwartz. I predicted a 1 win season this year, but the Lions are much better than the Rams and should handily defeat them later this year.

Schwartz used a phantom injury, (which for the record we have heard nothing about in terms of rehab) to justify starting Stafford. He should and seemingly is, using an injury to protect the kid from that world champion defense. Sure Pittsburgh has struggled, but they can get well quick against a vastly over-matched Lions squad. If Stafford's not 100% there's no way he should start behind that line. We might lose him for the entire season.

Peterson has been a disappointment but we know his potential as a pass rusher. I'm sure Gunther can work with him, even if its on the line. Sims' return coincided with another long run against the defense. I didn't get a chance to see the game in high quality due to the online stream, but someone other than Foote on that linebacking corps is getting blamed.

OK Killer instead of being lured into Schwartz' head game with the Steelers, use your insider card to give us a few nuggets into the substantive issues with the team. Writers with the Bleacher Report pressed Schwartz to answer questions about firing Kwan. He refused to go there but has apparently made significant changes you haven't shared on special teams. Things such as replacing Brown with Williams on returns, updating Kalvin Pearson's injury status & addressing the return of Follett all as signs the team was very displeased with the special teams' performance.

So what's going on with Kwan? Will he be fired? is he in hot water? Details please.

this is exactly what this team needs...more blood from players from powerhouse states like California, Florida & Texas. Now find a better guy to coach em up on special teams and we might be onto something.

Why did it take ESPN to notice that the game breaking return Knox made to start the 2nd half was fumbled before he entered the endzone? Swan should have seen this and gave Schwartz the info to challenged. Fire this incompetent guy! He is worthless!

Thanks 'Stoney' for this article. I wasn't aware Kwan's legacy with the Lions extended so far in the past. No doubt, that is precisely why he has escaped termination for so long. Still, he needs to be fired. Special teams has consistently been a problem on this team for years. And even when Schwartz, Linehan & Gunther have the other units showing progress, special teams continue to sabotage team success.

Kwan should be fired TONIGHT! Send the 'turk' after Derrick Williams while you are at it. Aaron Brown & Ernie Sims should see the remainder of their time in Detroit as auditions for OTHER teams.